Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole

This creamy and saucy spaghetti casserole has become a media sensation, and the reason is very clear. It’s easy to make and tastes amazingly good.

Hence the name Million Dollar Spaghetti Casserole. Millions of people have seen it, made it, and loved it. If you want to know what all these people are raving about, try making this baked million-dollar spaghetti yourself and find out!

Ingredients You’ll Need:

• Ground beef. I buy lean ground beef to avoid the extra fat
• Onion and garlic, give such great flavor to all savory dishes
• Marinara sauce. Buy a good quality one. We will need 3 cups (one large jar)
• Italian seasoning gives this dish a traditional Italian flavor
• Spaghetti noodles. The name says it all. This is the pasta we’ll need to make baked million-dollar spaghetti
• Cream cheese and ricotta cheese mixed together along with salt, pepper, parsley, dry minced onion, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning will make our creamy layer
• Mozzarella cheese. Freshly shredded mozzarella cheese to top this amazing casserole.

How To Make This Amazing Casserole?

To make this famous baked million-dollar spaghetti, follow these simple steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. In a medium-sized skillet, heat ½ tablespoon of olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. Add the ground beef and cook it until there is no pink left, breaking it up as you cook it. If you have any excess fat in the skillet, drain it. Mix in two cups of marinara sauce, one teaspoon of Italian seasoning, and ½ teaspoon of red pepper flakes into the cooked ground beef. Set aside.
3. Cook the spaghetti in a pot of salted boiling water for 3 minutes less than the al dente cooking time. It’s going to finish cooking in the oven, so we don’t want to overcook it and become mushy.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the cream cheese, ricotta cheese, minced onion, garlic powder, dry parsley, remaining teaspoon of Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
5. Drain the par-cooked spaghetti and return it to the pot. Pour in the remaining cup of marinara sauce and mix together. Set aside.
6. Spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with cooking spray and scoop ½ the spaghetti onto the bottom of the dish.
7. Spread the cheese mixture evenly on top of the spaghetti and then scoop the rest of the spaghetti on top of the cheese mixture.
8. Pour the meat sauce over the spaghetti and top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
9. Bake for 30 mins or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve warm.

What To Serve With Spaghetti Casserole?

I have the perfect homemade bread recipe for you to add to this amazing meal. Check out my easy and delicious Italian Bread Recipe.

For a side dish, I recommend serving a salad, and my Tomato Cucumber Onion Salad is a perfect choice. You also need an easy dessert, such as my Buttery Coconut Bars Recipe or the melt-in-your-mouth famous Mackinac Island Fudge.

Can You Freeze Cooked Spaghetti Casserole?

Yes, you can. Make sure it has cooled down completely before portioning it into individual squares. Wrap each square in foil or plastic and then place the squares into a freezer-safe bag and freeze for up to 3 months.

If you want to freeze the whole casserole, I recommend you bake it in a disposable foil casserole dish and wrap the whole casserole twice with plastic wrap and once with foil before placing it in the freezer.

How To Reheat Baked Spaghetti Casserole?

If it is frozen, make sure it is completely thawed before reheating. You can either reheat it in the microwave or bake it in the oven.

Either way, I recommend you cover it before reheating it or it might dry out. Spraying it with a little water before reheating it helps keep it moist.